Judson Althoff and Toni Townes-Whitley take the stage at Microsoft Inspire to discuss how the company is helping partners develop expertise in financial services, manufacturing, retail, education, health care and government.

In her new role at The Channel Company, Surrette will be focused on expanding relationships with vendors and solution providers, enhancing and evolving the PartnerDemand Services portfolio, and optimizing partner performance.

This week, CRN highlights top news stories, including another round of ransomware attacks reported on Tuesday, multiple CEO appearances at Cisco's Live event, and insight into Michael Dell's viewpoints on AI and machine learning technologies.

XChange 2017 featured dozens of vendors – including Extreme, Ingram Micro, Ruckus Wireless and many others – promoting their automation platforms, data backups, cybersecurity solutions and other offerings. Here are 30 products that stood out from the pack.